Wolfen (59 page)
Authors: Alianne Donnelly
Start Recording…
What is this thing? Hello?
Hellooooo…
Background noise.
Clatter.
“Case, can you stop playing around and give me a hand,
here?”
Running footsteps.
Hey, Sin? What’s this—
End Recording.
Start Recording…
Hey, it’s working! How ‘bout that?
Ahem. Um, hi. Hello, this is Sinna. The date is November
fourteenth, sixteenth year of the New Era. See, I wouldn’t have known that, if
the kind Wolfen folk didn’t have these fancy-schmancy things called calendars.
I’ve been here for a couple of weeks now. It was pretty rough
at first. The people who died in Haven had families here, mates and children.
We couldn’t bring back their bodies, so they burned funeral pyres with some of
their clothes, toys, and flowers, that sort of thing. Afterward, they shared a
quiet meal, and Aiden told them all the story of what happened. I don’t think
there was a dry eye left in the house.
Aiden sent teams back to recon Haven. This guy, Graham, and
some others went out in shifts to sweep the area. They said what’s left of
Haven and the hive is abandoned. No trace of converts left. It’s like they
disappeared into thin air, but none of us believe they’re gone for good. Too
many of them survived. They’ll be back one day. This time, we’ll be ready for
them.
Background noise.
Chuckle.
You hear that? They’re flirting again.
“Will you shut up?”
“I’m trying to help you out here!”
“You’re babying me, stop it! I can do this on my own!”
“God, you’re stubborn! You’re gonna fall on your face,
mark my words.”
“And then you’ll help me get back up.”
“You’re damn right I will! But I’ll laugh my ass off
first. Is that what you want? Huh? Huh? Hey! Don’t throw that, don’t you
da—damn it, Dez!”
Yeah, they’ve been at it for a while. Seems Aiden’s gone and
got himself mated while no one was looking. Can’t say it’s sweet puppy-dog
love, more like a crazy cat fight, but it seems to work for them, so who am I
to judge?
Dez has her new leg, and Penny declared she’s finally well
enough to try walking on it. So of course, Aiden has to be there every halting
step, just in case she changes her mind, so he can carry her back to bed.
Giggle.
Pause.
Um…it wasn’t all doodly-hearts and bird songs for them. We
had to tell Dez about Helena, and she didn’t take it too well. She was still in
the infirmary, then. We told her all good things, about how much Helena had
loved her, and how she’d never wanted to leave her behind, and how she’d come
back to save her. We were all there for her—Bryce, Aiden, and I—and we wanted
to make sure she was okay. From what Aiden had told me, Helena was probably the
only person in the world who’d cared for Dez, and she never knew it.
I thought she’d cry, and we’d comfort her and let her know
she wasn’t alone, but Dez isn’t like us. She got all stiff and quiet, and
stared straight ahead while we talked. When we were done, she thanked us, and
asked us to leave.
She didn’t know we could hear her crying from outside.
Aiden lasted about five seconds before he went right back in
there.
I’m glad he did.
Sigh…
It’s a strange place, this den. Almost like a whole nother
world. So peaceful and pretty…I don’t know what to do with myself. I keep
waiting for converts to start gathering again, to push north against us. I
still have nightmares about it. I imagine them climbing the den walls and
pouring in on a high tide. I see children screaming, people dying left and
right, just like in the old days. Sometimes Wolfen fight back. Sometimes they
even win. Sometimes, I’m right there alongside them, helping them push back the
hordes. Those are the best.
But sometimes it’s even worse than all that, and I wake up
screaming, but no sound comes out. Bryce doesn’t tell anyone. He keeps my
secret and helps me pretend everything’s okay, because he’s been through much
worse, and he knows, sooner or later, it
will
be okay.
I think I love that about him most, the way he never gives
up on anyone, least of all me. I tell him he’s my rock, my heart. He always
replies, “And you’re my soul.”
We’re safe. We’re home. And for the moment, at least, I
don’t want to relive the past anymore. I want to dream, and play, and look
forward to the future.
And you know what? That’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Sigma Nine, signing off.
End Recording.
“We are all different—but we share the same human spirit.
Perhaps it’s human nature that we adapt—and survive.”
-Stephen Hawking
Thank you for reading Wolfen!
If you’re hungry for more, check out the companion
website,
WolfenWideWeb.com
, to learn
about the history of Wolfen and Project Delta-Omega.
Alianne is an avid lover of stories of all kinds. Having
grown up with fairy tales in a place where it almost seemed they were real, it was
no surprise when she began making up her own stories. She loves music, hiking,
and archery, and won’t shy away from travel and zip lining. Alianne graduated
with a business degree and when she’s not off in the land of fantasy, she lives
in California.
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The Royal Wizard (Dragonborn,
book 1)
When the gods begin to play, mortals tremble…
A computer geek can be a hero too! Stranger things have
happened…